Morrissey A-Z: "Have-A-Go-Merchant"

BookishBoy

Well-Known Member



Today's track is this one, originally included on the "Boxers" single release, and another Morrissey/Whyte composition.

What do we think?
 
Is this the closest thing Morrissey has ever written to a proper drinking song? Not one I play on its own very often, but I think it works quite well when listening to the "Boxers" single as a whole work. Performed just once since 1995 at a 2016 show in Bergen where he looked fairly uncomfortable throughout the duration of its performance. Same night where he debuted the slow version of "It's Hard to Walk Tall..." which had recently leaked on the internet.
 
I like it a lot.
I also like a lot the quality of the sound. I don't remember who was the producer, but he did a good job.

It will be fun when we arrive to the "I"... I think there's a lot of good songs beginning with "I
 
A great track: prefiguring Southpaw with the more knotty riffs and chord sequences as well as leaning into more drinking and “laddish” imagery. Like the sentiments of the lyrics, about not spending time with a daughter thanks to a drinking problem: interesting to get different perspectives in such a relatively short amount of time. Lots of memorable hooks too: the riff, the “ah-ah” bit, as well. The Boxers single still stands up to scrutiny today, it seems.
8/10
 
I like it a lot.
I also like a lot the quality of the sound. I don't remember who was the producer, but he did a good job.

It will be fun when we arrive to the "I"... I think there's a lot of good songs beginning with "I
I think it was Steve Lillywhite doing this session?
 
I like it a lot.
I also like a lot the quality of the sound. I don't remember who was the producer, but he did a good job.

It will be fun when we arrive to the "I"... I think there's a lot of good songs beginning with "I
Yes, there are 26 songs (by my count) which begin with I, I'll, or I'm... nearly 4 weeks!
 
This always struck me as desperately underwritten and Morrissey should have spent some time coming up with a few more lyrics. In that sense, it predicted the failings of Southpaw Grammar.

Not a bad tune from Alain, but this one feels like a b-side all the way.

In the poll on the Hoffman board it ranked 208 from 264 songs.
 
always liked this,voice is good,good tune,very 90s feel from M.its a b-side but its a good b-side,most bands would have this as an A side.
 
I like it. I was very pleased at it’s surprise appearance in Norway in 2016. And equally disappointed it didn’t stretch beyond that. With Boxers being reintroduced in 15 (it didn’t go an further) Sunny being played the back end of 18, and Have-A-Go-Merchant having a one off performance, maybe their is a slight hope for the return of Swallow and Whatever Happens...

maybe !!
 
In early spring 1995, my friends didn't understand when I liked to sing this male chorus very often. "Music that seemed strangely out of time" was what I was allowed to listen to. As mentioned elsewhere, I feel the recordings between Vauxhall and Southpaw absolutely fit the Morrissey of the mid-90s. The Q did call his vocal style "Moaning" but it's probably more to do with Lillywhite's production, which puts all the pieces together in a meaningful way. For unreleased recordings from 93/94, I would.....Oh....Ha ha, ha ha, ha ha. Oh, oh, ha ha. Oh....
 
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I love this. Love this whole Moz the East End Bruiser schtick he had going around this time. Weirdly enough, it fitted him, and the music, albeit not always great, was always interesting. “Have A Go” is great fun. Someone mentioned it being a drinking song and I would agree. It’s a rowdy, quirky, English working class drinking song.
 
A great track: prefiguring Southpaw with the more knotty riffs and chord sequences as well as leaning into more drinking and “laddish” imagery. Like the sentiments of the lyrics, about not spending time with a daughter thanks to a drinking problem: interesting to get different perspectives in such a relatively short amount of time. Lots of memorable hooks too: the riff, the “ah-ah” bit, as well. The Boxers single still stands up to scrutiny today, it seems.
8/10

Sums it up nicely. Drinking & fighting, raising children severely & without affections: all signs of repressed emotions. It may also be a reflection on his younger years.
 
And another one that he gave a second life quite recently on This is Morrissey.

I’ve always loved this song. And the Boxers-single in general. And the Boxers-Tour. Probably my favourite Moz-Tour. This song worked really well live, too.

8,3
 
I remember buying the Boxers single and being surprised that Sunny, that had been previewed on French radio, was not on it.

I like the song Boxers, but both B sides were astonishingly good, in Les Inrockuptibles' review, they wrote that Morrissey is definitely back and that Damon Albarn is only worth cutting lemons for him; that was before Southpaw.

Anyhow, I think it is great and works much better than Boxers as an A side - Whatever Happens too.
 
I remember buying the Boxers single and being surprised that Sunny, that had been previewed on French radio, was not on it.

I like the song Boxers, but both B sides were astonishingly good, in Les Inrockuptibles' review, they wrote that Morrissey is definitely back and that Damon Albarn is only worth cutting lemons for him; that was before Southpaw.

Anyhow, I think it is great and works much better than Boxers as an A side - Whatever Happens too.
That was true in 1995. Great escape is really naff, bar a few great songs. However, in 2021.... :)
 
I quite like this song despite not being a fan of the era at all, it clearly anticipates the Britpop-inspired stuff on Southpaw Grammar
 
Great feel to this song. And Lillywhite is sill working his magic,
before it (for me) took a bit of a nosedive more or less on Southpaw and Maladjusted.

Maybe it’s just me, but back in the day, when hearing these b-sides, it felt as if you were the only one that’s discovered them, I know it’s silly. :blushing:
 
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